O Brother, Where Art Thou?
by Firebird41
Summary: [AU sort of] After having symbolic dream, Sasuke decides to leave Orochimaru to find, and finally, kill Itachi. Except Itachi has been witholding something, the true reason to the massacre that left Sasuke the way he is.
1. Chapter 1

AN- This marks my first venture into any kind of anime/manga writing. If it's bad let me know so I'll never do it again…well I don't know about _never_ but I'll seriously reconsider the next time I come up with an idea. **The following statement contains a slight spoiler, to some anyway:** This story takes place after the time skip, but before Sasuke kills Orochimaru. **Spoilers end here.** So here we have Sasuke, at the pinnacle of his training with Orochimaru. He feels he's ready, but hasn't had any real reason to leave, until now. At the moment, however, I don't really know where this is going, but maybe I'll figure it out.

Disclaimer –something about me not owning stuff…yeah.

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Chapter 1: Dream

_The rain felt calm and cool as it lightly poured over him and the rest of the clearing. He however was anything but. Along with the adrenaline that pumped through his arteries and veins, pure hatred burned further fueling his actions. He shifted his gaze left, then right, searching over the badly torn forest clearing for the only other person that mattered. _

_Any other person probably would have been exhausted, ninja or not. Certainly an intense battle lasting from dusk, through dawn, all the way to noon would have been extremely tiring. He, however, wouldn't allow himselfto submit to such weakness. And he knew that his brother wouldn't either. To be tired was to show how weak one was, and he was anything but weak. The surrounding area was a testament to how hard he'd fought over the past eighteen hours or so. _

_The clearing was devastated. The green grass that once covered the clearing had been replaced by dead, gray earth. There were various pock marks and craters that covered the surface as well. It might have been mistaken for the moon had there not been any trees. Where a tree once stood, now laid a dead log with multiple holes smashed into it. Various other trees also lay about; either splintered to pieces, uprooted or charred black. It was in the middle of this small hell-on-earth that he stood, searching along the tree line for the man whose blood he hungered for._

"_ITACHI!" the almost-man shouted. For a moment, there was silence; the only bit of noise was the rain that poured. And then once again, he beckoned, "ITACHI! I-TA-CHIIIIIIII!!!!!!!" _

_It had been about five minutes since his brother disappeared from sight and Sasuke was becoming impatient. He was so close to killing _him_, so close to achieving his revenge! The fact that Itachi had suddenly taken to hiding proved that Sasuke was winning. Or, perhaps Itachi was planning something clever, to make up for the loss of his special technique. _

_The Mengekyou had failed Itachi early on in the fight, a fact that Sasuke was somewhat proud of. Although, he wouldn't let it get to his head –that was the quickest way to die. And he certainly wouldn't take Itachi's flight into the forest for granted, either. He wasn't a fool; he wasn't going to charge in after him only to be ambushed just beyond the tree line. The only reason he knew Itachi was there being that he could sense his chakra. So he waited… _

What…?_ Movement from the left! Sasuke heard it before he saw it. With startling grace, he dodged the first four shuriken that came his way. It was the _fifth_ that had come a second later that he did not expected. Moving a little too hastily, he threw himself off balance, dodging the last shuriken but falling into someone behind him. This, he had expected. He didn't need to see who it was to know Itachi was standing right behind him. With that knowledge in hand, he quickly performed the seals necessary for the chidori. _

"_DIE, ITACHI!" Sasuke roared, using the momentum he had to throw himself toward his brother… _

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Sasuke shot up in bed, his face dripping with sweat and a tingling feeling in his arm. _A dream, it was only a dream_ he thought. He tilted his head back to look at the dark ceiling, and let a grin come to his face. He had killed Itachi, or _almost_ did, anyway. Since the dream ended before he could see Itachi's body, he couldn't really be sure that he killed him, or if it was a clone. Sasuke shook his head; he had to admit that it had been a bad move, being fully committed and all. Slowly he fell back into his bed, still staring at the ceiling. He replayed the dream over again and grinned once more. He even let out a small laugh, bad move or no. He _had_ killed him. _The bastard didn't even…_He stopped, a small realization dawning on him. "He didn't even step out of the way…" Sasuke trailed off at the end.

Wait. What did that mean? The grin on his face was slowly replaced by a contemplative look. What _did_ it mean? As a ninja, he wasn't supposed to take things like this so lightly, like a civilian. For all he knew, the dream could've be some kind of omen. He went over again, and again, and then once more. The dream _did_ mean something, although whether or not it was a good thing, Sasuke didn't know. There was one thing he knew, however: It was time to leave the snake-sannin.

He turned to look toward his clock._ Three in the morning; perfect. _

Sasuke jumped out of bed, put on his clothes (normal clothes, he wouldn't need the Sound outfit), and quickly began gathering his belongings. It wasn't much; an extra set of clothes, a bit of food, his shuriken/kunai holder, and, of course, his newly acquired katana. He paused for a moment, before tying it on his belt, to admire its beauty. To think that such a work of art would soon be ruined by Itachi's blood saddened him a little. But it had to be done. Everything leading up to, and after, this moment had been done for the one purpose.

_Arrgh…I've wasted too much time. I need to leave, _now! Quietly he opened his door, taking care to close it softly rather than stealthily. Acting in a stealthy manner would only alert the guards, who would assume there was someone sneaking around. He would not let a bunch of Orochimaru's stupid guards stop him from attaining his revenge, not at the moment when fate, chance, and (possibly) the gods smiled down upon him.

Quietly he roamed the many halls of Orochimaru's underground "fortress", as it were, dodging patrolling guards, either by completely avoiding them, or performing simple genjutsus to disrupt their already tired minds, until he finally came upon an exit.

"Going somewhere, Sasuke-kun?" A familiar voice called from behind.

Sasuke stopped. "_Kabuto_," he snarled through bared teeth. He turned to face the ex leaf-nin. Smirking he asked, "How did you know?"

"I didn't; you just told me," Kabuto responded, giving off a smirk of his own.

…_Damn it. _He wouldn't show his frustration, though –_because that would be irresponsible of me, wouldn't it?_ "I'm leaving –"

"I can see that…"

Ignoring the interruption, Sasuke continued: "I'm done with your master. He's taught me all I need to know, anyway. There's no point in staying anymore," Sasuke stated firmly, standing his ground. Sure, Kabuto was good, but Sasuke was better. Slowly, he placed a hand on the hilt of his katana, Kabuto's eyes following his movements. Slowly, Kabuto opened his mouth, and uttered the one word that he hadn't expected.

"Fine." _What? _"Go. After all, it was part of the agreement; Orochimaru-sama gives you the means to kill Itachi, and Orochimaru-sama gets your body."

Sasuke glared at him. Yes, he knew the agreement. Although, whether or not Sasuke would follow up on it, he hadn't decided yet.

"Whatever," Sasuke muttered before turning towards the exit, leaving the Kabuto and his sick sensei behind.

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AN-If you don't understand what I meant by "fully committed" and why that's bad, it just means that his attack will be all or nothing. Essentially, he's gambling that the Itachi behind him is the real one and won't block his attack. In the event that any one of the two conditions aren't satisfied (i.e., it's a shadow clone, or Itachi blocks the attack, or _both_) then it leaves Sasuke open to a serious counter attack. So why would he do it anyway? Because he's fucking _PISSED!_ As you all know this is something he's wanted since the massacre. So he wasn't thinking straight when he did this.

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How is it? Weird? Cool? Stupid? Odd? Please let me know. I'd appreciate the reviews.


	2. Chapter 2

AN- Okay. I'm still not exactly sure where I'm going with this, but atleast i updated. I'm not that proud of it though. I've read it over and to me it sounds rushed. Oh well. Maybe if I get more reviews I'll be able to write better. Thanks to those who reviewed.

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Chapter 2: Shady Liason

Idle banter and laughter rose up and filled the air, mixing with the savory smell of cooking food, before finally spilling out in to the streets through open garage-like doors. Many from the street rushed in as a result of this, for it was dusk and the hour for eating had arrived. Among those already in the bustling restaurant, sat two particular figures both clad in black cloaks and one wearing a rather large straw hat to block his facial features. At the moment, a waitress was serving them tea.

"Thank you," Itachi said to the young waitress. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she stopped to take a good look at him. When he returned her gaze, however, she had suddenly found something interesting on her shoes. A small rosy haze hung around her cheeks.

"You're welcome, sirs," she replied shyly.

Itachi continued to watch her as she bowed and quickly made her way back to the kitchens. She had a slim figure, dark purple hair that she had tied back in a pony tail, and the most beautiful pair of crimson eyes Itachi had everseen. She also looked to be about a year or two younger than him. _And she probably has no idea who I am._

"A shame…," he whispered sadly.

"Say something?" Kisame asked, looking up from the restaurant menu.

"Nothing." It was a lie, but then with such an amazing poker face who could tell? Itachi reached out for one of the cups of tea and brought it to his lips. It was when he brought it down that he noticed Kisame giving him an odd look.

"Kisame, I'd appreciate it if you'd quit staring at me," Itachi said with a bit malice. Itachi watched as Kisame lightly put his hand up, as if to surrender.

"Forgive me, Itachi-san," the shark-like nin replied with a grin.

Itachi simply stared before going back to his tea.

"It's just-" Kisame began again. Itachi sent him a death glare, complete with Mengekyou. "You've seemed a little tense since your dream," Kisame finished quickly before returning to the restaurant menu.

An odd silence came between them as the sounds of the busy restaurant seem to become louder. _The dream…_

Two nights ago, Itachi had awoken from a very ominous dream. In it, he'd been fighting non other than Sasuke. At the very end, he'd been killed by Sasuke –or, more accurately –allowed Sasuke to kill him. Unable to fall asleep, he'd gone for a walk afterwards, into the cool darkness of the night (or early morning, depending on where 3 am falls for people), to try and interpret the dream.

_So this is it then, Otouto? Hopefully you've done something to improve. I might even be glad to see you...that is, if I'll be able to see at all._

Yet, another thing that was bothering him: his eyes. His eyesight was rapidly deteriorating, thanks to the curse that was the Mengekyou Sharingan. At the moment, he could just barely make out figures that were no more several yards away. It was also making his reaction time in fights a bit slower –not noticeably slower, but enough so that Itachi actually found himself hesitating. Soon enough, his eyesight would be gone completely _–the price one pays, I guess. _

"Itachi-san." The voice of his shark-like partner interrupted his thoughts. Itachi looked up, his gaze meeting a row of sharp teeth –a smile –which was a tell tale sign of the shinobi's excitement. "Take a look outside."

Itachi turned and squinted to get a better view. He looked around a bit before seeing what Kisame saw.

"Oh, good; my quarry is here," Itachi said, and Kisame smiled even wider.

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Just outside the doors of the restaurant stood a lone figure, who seemed to look up at the large restaurant sign before glimpsing back down to his own hand. Apparently satisfied, this blond haired blue eyed wearer of orange and black strolled into the restaurant.

Naruto made his way from the door to the bar (because what's a good restaurant without a bar?) with no intention of getting a drink. For this mission, he needed to be sober, no matter how personal the mission was. He took a stool, and waited patiently. _What was the guy's name again?_ He wondered before taking out a piece of paper. _'Gio'. Right._ He tucked the piece of paper back into his pocket, sat there for another minute or so before shouting at the bartender.

"Hey, wait a sec, alright! I got other customers too!" the bartender, a fairly old, fairly large man with a crew cut, shouted back.

"But I've been waiting so long!" Naruto countered.

"'Waiting long'? Are you really that eager to get drunk? I saw you come in here two minutes ago!"

"I don't wanna get drunk-"

"Then get out of my bar!" the bartender interrupted.

Naruto sighed, and held his head in his hands. _People can be really frustrating…_

"_**Now you know how everyone else feels, twerp."**_

_Kyuubi?_

"_**No, brat; The Tooth Fairy,"**_ Kyuubi said flatly. Naruot took a moment to consider.

_But…I've lost all my baby teeth…_

"_**And you complain about other people being frustrating."**_

Naruto physically frowned, still trying to figure out why the Tooth Fairy was talking to him when the figure of the Bartender moved into view.

"Alright, you; What do ya want?" The Bartender wrapped his finger against bar.

Naruto looked up, and quickly forgot about the Tooth Fairy. He pulled out the slip of paper again and said, "I want to talk to Gio."

The Bartender looked genuinely taken back at this. "_You_ want to talk to _Gio_?"

Naruto nodded slowly, taking note of how some of the other patrons of the bar looked at him as though he was crazy. "I'm looking for a friend," He said finally, the events of the past two nights whizzing through his head.

Two nights ago, Naruto headed out from home, attempting to finish the mission that he'd started so long ago –only this time, he would bring Sasuke back. He'd only just returned the week before, but as he sat up on the familiar water tower, staring at the stars, images of back then would flash through his mind. Finally he decided 'Hell, it's about time,' and, simply, left. (1) Except just leaving without notice had proven to be slightly hazardous –Sasuke's leave was proof of that. So he left a note (Went to find Sasuke; Be back soon). From then on, he'd traveled from village to village, seeking information about Orochimaru, and, ultimately, Sasuke. Sure he'd probably be in trouble when he got back, but when they'd see Sasuke he was sure that they look past his minor incursion.

"You're looking for your friend? And you're goin to ask Gio?" the Bartender's voice interrupted Naruto's thoughts. Naruto looked up and nodded. "You know, I gotta be quite frank with you; if it's a missing person yer after and it involves Gio, then your friend is probably dead."

In a flash Naruto was out of his seat, a kunai in one hand and the Bartender in the other. "Sasuke is _not_ dead!" Naruto growled between barred teeth, unaware of the scene he was making. The Bartender, wide eyed, smiled sheepishly.

"W-whatever you say," the man said, raising his hands in submission. Naruto let him go and slipped the kunai back where it belonged, taking a deep breath while doing so.

"Motoko!" The Bartender called after purpled haired waitress who was about to enter the kitchens. (2)

"Yes, Batou-san?" (2.1) The girl turned toward their direction.

"Could you take our young friend upstairs to see Gio, please." The girl lifted and eyebrow. "He's looking for someone." The girl –Motoko –sighed, and nodded her head, already heading toward the staircase.

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"Be careful," Motoko whispered to Naruto as he reached out for the door knob. Naruto simply smiled at her, and pointed to his head band.

"Don't worry about me; I'm a ninja and nothing can stop me!" He exclaimed. The look on the Motoko's face fell even more. Naruto watched as she turned away and went back to the stair case, only to be bumped in to by a dark man in a suit. "Excuse me. I'm looking for Mr. Jun Tao?" Naruto heard the man say before entering the room. (3)

Naruto almost gaped at the farily large lounge before him. It was nicely decorated with a vast array of arm chairs and comfy-looking couches. There were a couple of TVs where various people watched anything from sport competitions to something a little more adult rated. Naruto was about to take a step before an arm quickly cut across his chest. A man that Naruto swore was not there before stood off to his right, a cigarette in his mouth.

"May I help you?" the man asked in a tone anything but hospitable.

"I'm looking for Gio," Naruto stated. All activity stopped as twenty or so pairs of eyes rested on him. From the throng of men, stood one, a brown man with black hair that fell over his left eye. He wore a loose fitting black knit turtle neck with the sleeves

rolled up. Crossing over his chest were two leather belts –bandoliers –with various pouches and knife holder. He nodded his head at the 'doorman' allowing Naruto to move closer to him.

"Yeah, I'm Gio. So, how can I be of service?" Gio smiled, his hands held out. Naruto noticed his smile falter for a second as he stepped into the light. "A ninja, huh?" Gio muttered.

"I was told you could help me with something." Naruto said. "They said you could help me find someone." Gio raised a brow.

"Yeah. I can find anyone…if the price is right."

Naruto went wide eyed. Cautiously he asked, " How much money?"

"At least a couple hundred. Or even a couple thousand if they're important."

Naruto could only stare. _Shit! I don't have that kind of money!_

"No cash, no deal," Gio said, as if reading his mind.

Naruto clenched his fists. He would not get this far only to fail. Letting his frustration take over him, he lunged toward Gio shouting, "I need this!" Blinded by frustration, Naruto didn't even see the back of Gio's hand until it hit his face. Naruto stumbled back, quickly regaining his senses as everyone in the room pressed in on him, swords, knives and other manner of hand to hand weapons readied.

"Damn you," Gio spat. "Just because you think that you're a ninja means you can jump me and make me do what you want? Fuck you!" at this Gio raised something odd up to Naruto's face, something he'd never seen before.

A bead of sweat (not a sweat-drop!) dripped down from Naruto's brow as he stared down what looked like a small, metal pipe connected to a wooden club. To the others surrounding him, the bead was hardly noticeable. "Okay…" Naruto started slowly, lifting a finger to touch it, "What is this suppose to do?"

The brown man behind it smiled. He turned his head to the others saying, "Should I give the kid a demonstration? He obviously doesn't know what this is." The men surrounding Naruto, voiced their approval, either laughing or saying, "Do it Gio!"

Naruto, still oblivious to what it was, continued to stand there while Gio smiled maliciously at him. "Majority rules, kid," Gio said before lowering the object at one of Naruto's legs. A thunderous roar was all Naruto heard as he felt something tear through his left leg, splattering the floor beneath him with shredded muscle tissue and blood. He quickly clutched his leg, screaming out of shock more than pain, as he crumpled to the floor, as if someone had just cut it off instead.

"This, my friend," Gio stated as he put the object away and pulled out another one, "is what we normal folks call a 'pistol'." Naruto turned his head up weakly, already turning pale from blood loss, while tears streamed down his face. "It's the perfect weapon against you ninja…or shinobi, whatever –I don't give a fuck," Gio spat.

Naruto could barely hear or see anything after that. Neither could he really feel much –the only thing he felt was the hard wood as his face hit the floor. Naruto slowly shut his eyelids, only opening them to find that he now floated just outside the giant cage that held Kyuubi.

"_**You stupid brat…**__" _Kyuubi said venomously.

Naruto turned his head to look at the great fox. "I'm…sorry…" he managed to choke out. Kyuubi scoffed.

"_**Oh, your sorry, huh? Sorry that you didn't bother to go get your little friends? Sorry that you had to lunge at him? Sorry that you just had to ask that **_**asshole**_** what his little toy could do? If anything, be sorry for your stupidity!**__" _Kyuubi barked. _"__**Had it not occurred to you that this man might be dangerous?**__"_

"I didn't think that…this guy would b-…would be like this. The others…weren't," Naruto panted, making note of how the others whom he'd asked information from weren't nearly as malicious.

"_**Well that's your problem then, brat: you don't think**__," _Kyuubi retorted. Naruto ignored him.

"Can't you…do anything…to save us?" The Kitsune grinned. He opened his mouth as if to say something but stopped, his eyes going wide. Naruto frowned, not exactly sure what to make of it, before his view of Kyuubi blurred completely…

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Itachi ran upstairs, Kisame at his heals. It had been about ten minutes after watching Naruto go upstairs that he and just about everyone else downstairs heard what sounded like a small explosion. Never having heard the sound before, Itachi shot up from the table and took off for the large stair case that rested on one side of the restaurant. Yes, it worry that drove him, but in a different sense –for all intents and purposes, the Akatsuki needed Naruto _alive_, and, because Itachi was the one to capture this jinchuuriki, it made him somewhat responsible for the boy. Besides, he needed Naruto for something _else _as well.

Itachi reached the top step, turned and swore. The upstairs was a long, white hallway, with many doors lining either side.

"Shit," Itachi swore, uncharacteristically, as he ran down the hallway, his hair whipping at his face.

"Itachi-san, listen!" Kisame shouted, coming to a halt. Itachi stopped, too, and listened. Laughter. It was coming from a room two doors down on the right. Itachi moved and Kisame hurried after. With one quick swing, Kisame destroyed the wooden door, splintering it with the powerful Samehada, allowing both of them access.

The room was dimly lit but Itachi could see sixteen figures all standing around another that lay on the floor –_Naruto. _Some of the men had only just started turning around.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" One of them shouted. The speaker pulled out something from his waist –some kind of metal tube with a wooden handle –and pointed it at Itachi. At that moment there was a loud crash from the wall opposite them. Everyone turned, their attention on this new intruder. Even Itachi was curious to see who else had decided to make their way into this soon-to-be hell hole. Standing in where painted drywall used be stood a girl who Itachi recognized as Sasuke's old teammate –_Haruno, was it? –_and the only non-Uchiha to ever posses the Sharingan. Slowly, they too entered the room.

"Oh what the fuck is this? More ninjas? FUCKING KILL THEM ALL!!"

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AN- Alright, now i gotta go a type up a fight scene. Oh well. There are some parts that, to me, seem a bit confusing so, if you think so, go ahead and ask me. 

(1)If you're a gamer like me and enjoy Starcraft, perhaps you've heard that Starcraft II is coming out. What Naruto decides (Hell, it's about time) is a reference to the Starcraft II trailer.

(2)Both 2 and 2.1 are name references to another anime that I particularly enjoy, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.

(3)This reference is to one of my favorite movies, Rush Hour. I couldn't resist it, it was just too funny. Okay, so maybe Jun Tao is Chinese, I don't care, it still cracked me up.

I'd appreciate the reviews.


	3. Chapter 3

AN- Dang, this has got to be one of my quickest updates since I wrote my first story. Thanks to **Kairi and Cloud** for reviewing (or should I just be thanking Cloud?). And now for the crazy battle scene. It seems a little odd to me but I tried. I think I can write gunfights a little better, though. Now originally there was a part where Kisame does some pretty nasty stuff to kill some guys, but i had to take it out just so that I wouldn't have to have this rated M or anything.

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Chapter 3: Battle Royale

"Oh what the fuck is this? More ninjas? FUCKING KILL THEM ALL!"

At the sound of these words, chaos erupted. Whoops and hollers rang out, metal clashed against metal, and the smoke of kage bunshins filled the air. Smoke emitted from the odd, new weapons filled the room with a thick haze, thus limiting view to what was directly in front. Slowly, but surely, the haze cleared, revealing the crimson painted floor and the bodies that littered it. Those still alive had but a moments rest before part two of the murderous tango began.

Sakura's eyes widened as the man nearest to her leveled an odd pipe-shaped thing at her face. Already sensing the danger, she ducked to the floor and, using her falling momentum, took out his legs, just as the sound of thunder erupted over her head. She quickly leapt to her feet, just as another thug charged her, a sword in hand. Just before the man got to her, Kakashi (or perhaps a clone) jumped in the way, lunging underneath the blade and coming up with a kunai in hand. The man did a somewhat graceful back flip –pretty good for a corpse –before landing solidly on the hardwood.

Sakura turned, quickly picking up another target. This one, unlike her first two attackers, was a fairly large, solid man. All it meant to her was slow and uncoordinated. He grinned as he lifted a heavy axe above his head, only to spit out blood as she pounded his gut with one chakra infused fist, and then falling to the ground as Sakura shattered his left knee with a swift kick.

Sakura took this moment to really look at her surroundings. They were surrounded by a number of quite formidable thugs, wielding swords, axes, chains, and some odd looking pipe-club, the emitted smoke and thunder. On the opposite side of the room two other figures, had to be ninjas by the way they moved. She also decided that perhaps nin-jutsu would be a pretty bad idea, considering that they weren't outside, but inside a rather nicely decorated box with windows (because what is a room besides). But despite those around her, the only person she worried about was the blonde who lay no more than a few feet away –_Naruto!_

"Sakura!" Her former sensei called through the chaos. She turned toward the voice, just to see Kakashi actually dismember a man with two kunai (1). She had no time to gape, as another decided to jump her from nowhere, earning him punch to his chin. The man actually flew across the room, landing on top of someone else. Quickly, she turned back to Kakashi. "GET NARUTO AND GET OUT OF HERE!" he ordered, wiping blood away from his exposed eye. She nodded, and took off toward the wounded blonde.

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_Bang! _The ninja with the red eyes went down, and to the killer, he'd thought he pulled off some kind of miracle. His celebration was cut short however when the body of the ninja _poofed!_ in a cloud of smoke, revealing the body of a fellow thug. He then began to panic, trading his spent weapon for a sword, only to have his throat slit from behind. Gasping for breath and futilely trying to stop the blood flow, the man fell, turning as he did so, and gasped (or would have) in seeing the ninja with the crazy red eyes.

Itachi, not wanting to deteriorate his eyes anymore then it was, had never used more than regular Sharingan since the fight began. He would not lose his vision to kill such a worthless opponent. Still, it would make the whole affair much easier.

Not wanting to see the pitiful sight for much longer, Itachi took his eyes off the man on the floor, and turned toward Kisame. _He's probably enjoying himself_ Itachi thought. Sure enough, Kisame stood on a pile of adversaries, surrounded by a few more, him and his blade covered in gore, and a smile stretched across his face. He turned to his nearest adversary and brought Samehada down, stopping right above the man's head. The man screamed and almost fainted, just as Kisame grabbed him…only to throw him at someone else.

"Itachi-san!" Kisame called out to him. Itachi looked, despite having engaged another. "Did you see that? That man actually shit himself!"

Itachi shook his head, and jumped just as the blade of sword came into view. The man he fought was actually well better off then the others Itachi had slain; upon quick inspection, he realized the man had actually cut into his cloak. "You're good," Itachi began, causing the man to hesitate. Itachi used this to land a punch to the man's lower jaw, stunning him, and then kicking in his now locked-out leg, tearing every ligament holding his knee together and making it bend inward, instead of out. The man fell, a look of pure horror as he clutched his leg, dropping his sword in the process. Itachi retrieved the sword, positioning himself above the man in a way that was all too familiar. "But I'm better." He drew the sword across his body, and with one swing, ended it. The headless body fell to the side, the head popping up and rolling to some part of the room.

He was about to turn toward another when he noticed one of those odd weapons –a pistol from what he'd heard –protruding from the back of his pants. Curious, he grabbed it, and shifted it around in his hand. Just as he'd thought; odd to the eye, odd to the hand. But obviously it was a dangerous weapon –why would these thugs be carrying it if they knew otherwise? Still curious, he did what he'd seen the others do; he pulled back on the little protrusion on the back, granting him a nice metallic _click!_ He then pointed it at the nearest enemy, and pulled the little lever underneath. He expected the bang, but he didn't expect the recoil. It would've flown out of his hand had he not had such a strong grip on it.

"Itachi-san!" he heard Kisame shout. It was odd though; it sounded like he was pissed. "Itachi-san, did you just kill that man?" Kisame asked in an accusatory tone. Itachi only nodded. Kisame frowned. "Itachi-san, I respect you as a partner. But if you ever do that again –take one of _my_ kills for your own –I will hurt you," Kisame threatened.

"Fair enough," Itachi replied, not really paying attention. He looked up again, noting the condition of Nauto. _I'll just leave Kisame to satisfy his blood lust; I've some business to attend to. _

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Surrounding Naruto stood another three thugs, laughing and pointing their boomsticks, as Sakura had appropriately named, at the various clones running around. Unfortunately for them, between their laughter and the shots they fired, they didn't even sense Sakura coming up behind them. She wound up, and struck the closest one at the base of the head, causing the top vertebrae to lodge into his medulla oblongata. He crumpled to the floor. The second man was luckier. Having seen his buddy fall he turned, and shoved the boom stick at her chest. Sakura moved to the side, grabbed his arm and twisted it behind him until she heard the bones crack, resulting in a shrill scream. She kicked the back of his knee, sending him falling to the ground, and pounded the soft spot located toward the back of the skull, rendering him unconscious.

The last thug, now fully aware of the situation, dropped his boomstick, and removed a hatchet from his pants. He then charged at her, slicing down, and across, before kicking her. She slid back, and was about to counter attack when she noticed that a bit of her bangs on her right side seemed shorter then the other. "Hey!" she shouted at the man, who smirked at her with ugly, yellow teeth. This time she ran to him, catching his arm as he brought it down, and drove her knee through his legs. He instantly dropped the miniature axe, and doubled over, literally squealing in pain. Sakura merely give him a slight push, sending him to the floor. Finally, she could focus on Naruto.

Now crouched before him, she gasped. He was terribly pale, and his breaths had become shallow and ragged. She also noted the large pool of blood he lay in. "Hang in there Naruto," she whispered, noting the weary eye that looked up her. She carefully slung him over her shoulder and turned back, only to see a boomstick shoved in her face.

"Going somewhere?" Ask the holder, a brown man in black clothes sneered.

"Yeah! Through you!" Sakura shouted, moving so fast the man didn't have time to react. Chakra gathered, she smashed her fist into his chest, satisfied when she heard ribs shattering. Like the other man, he too flew across the room, his flight and his life ending when he smashed through the opposite wall.

With that, she took off toward the way she came, dodging various attacks and almost stumbling over various bodies. She was almost out when she was stopped by a pair of red eyes. She frowned, slightly, looking straight in them. _…Sasuke-kun? No…_ And then she saw the headband –the Konohagakure symbol etched in with a line deeply carved over it. _Wait…could this be him? The man that ruined Sasuke-kun's life? The man that has been chasing after Naruto?_

"I need you to hand over Naruto. Now." The man demanded in an icy cold tone. _Uchiha Itachi…_

"Sakura!" the sound of Kakashi's voice range in her ears. "Don't look in his eyes!" The silvered haired ninja jumped in the way, his concealed eye now exposed. "Sakura, out the window!" he ordered.

"But…Kakas-"

"GO NOW!"

Sakura turned toward the nearest window, which had been broken sometime ago earlier in the fight. The fall wouldn't be too bad for her –but would it be safe for Naruto? She checked his pulse. When she couldn't find one she began to panic. _No! Naruto…you can't be-_

"What are you waiting for!?" Kasashi shouted as he took on Itachi. Right. She still had to get Naruto out regardless. Throwing all caution into the window she leapt through the open window, and fell. She positioned herself so that Naruto might fall on her –_he better thank me after this –_and braced for impact (2).

She hit the ground –hard –and Naruto hit her even harder. Quickly recovering she looked up, and noticed how the restaurant was almost completely empty –everyone was standing in the street looking up at the room she'd just jumped out of. A came over to see her and, now that they were out side, helped her work on Naruto.

She ordered the people around as if she was Tsunade-sama herself. She called out for towels, and antiseptics, tying her hair back as she did so. Quickly finding the source of the blood, she tore open his pant leg, earning gasps from the crowd. There was a hole almost half an inch wide on the top of his leg that obviously went through. Turning him over earned more gasps as the hole on the back side seemed a great deal larger –almost five inches in diameter (3). She was amazed that he was still alive –not that she wanted him dead, but it still seemed impossible.

"Sa…kura…chan..." She looked up from his wound, and saw the weak smile on his face.

"Don't worry, Naruto…your going to be fine," Sakura said, trying to sound as kind as possible. Actually, in all her years of knowing the baka, this was probably the kindest she'd _ever_ been to him. He just nodded slightly, and closed his eyes. She was about to go back to work when an explosion rocked the ground, causing most to panic and flee. She turned to see her former sensei diving out a window.

She watched him stand, take good look back at the room before making his way toward her. She noted that he was wounded in various places and was about to try and heal him until he declined.

"No, I'm fine Sakura. Focus on Naruto," Kakashi spoke. He then added, "How is he anyway?"

"Amazingly, he's stable," she said, taking a bottle of antiseptic and pouring it over the wound. She noted how Naruto's face scrunched up. _At least he's responsive._

"Can we move him?" Kakashi asked.

"I think so. We just need to be careful with him."

"Good. Do what you can for now, and get him ready; we don't have much time before those two come down here looking for us."

She nodded her approval, and quickly set to work.

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AN- Alright, it wasn't that geat of an ending. Ah well. I should be back with Sasuke for the next chapter but I'm not guaranteeing anything. Also, I don't believe my update time will be anything like this for awhile so, sorry. 

(1) Wouldn't that be crazy to see Kakashi using to two kunai and going crazy on some guy? That would be so sick. Besides, he's ex-anbu anyway, I'd think he'd be able to do something like chopping all the limbs off somebody.

(2) I'd think that jumping out a window, even if one was a ninja like that, with an unconcious body would be somewhat difficult. Plus, she's doesn't want him to get hurt anymore than he already is so she tries to break his fall. It's the mind of a medic, I'd say -the wounded come first before you.

(3) I gotta tell you, when someone gets shot, it's nothing like in the movies. The reason why the hole would be that big is becuase of some bullet dynamics that I learned from my highschool bio teacher. The big reason is that you cannot compress a liquid, and the body is full of liquid. When a bullet enters the body, it pushes all the liquid infront of it toward it's exit, thus compressing the liquid -except you can't compress a liquid. So you get this pocket of liquid that ends up popping like a balloon when the bullet leaves through the exit wound. I've even seen it; I saw a guy that was shot by a .22 long rifle (and if you know anything about guns, you'll know that .22 LR is one of the smaller calibers out there). The entrance wound was probably the size of the tip of my pinky, but the exit wound was the size of any average sized palm. Hell, the hole in Naruto's leg might be bigger, considering that the lead ball used in those pistols was .30 caliber, and that it was actually a **ball** and not a bullet, which would have compressed more since the surface area is bigger.

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I'd appreciate the reviews.


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